Appendix A, which is a part of the present disclosure and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, is a listing of computer programs and related data for the client and server processes of this invention.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to communications between persons using computers and more particularly to communications and interactions among persons within a virtual community implemented on a computer network.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the more interesting things that people do is form communities, e.g., form collections of people with common interests and activities. The creation of computer mediated communication has created the potential for people to come together in new ways. Where before, humans met face to face in a common physical space, they now can congregate in cyberspacexe2x80x94the conceptual place created by on-line communication. Until recently, on-line communities were limited to relatively sparse, text only communications. Common activities were limited to discussion, or simple games that could handled by what in effect was an extension of the postal service.
Previous on-line services have been creation points for communities. In some cases, communities have developed despite the inherent difficulties of the medium. Other, more interesting activities that contribute to community building, were severely limited or difficult to conduct.
To enhance the community building process, more diverse activities must be enabled. One thing that has brought humans together in communities from the earliest times has been the market, a place to exchange goods and services, and also an excuse to get together for other activities. It may be argued that without an economic component, any community will be severely limited in its potential growth and complexity. Commerce is also enjoyable and contributes to perceived quality of life.
How can an on-line service provide a medium of exchange for a virtual community that is acceptable to all users of the service? How can an on-line service provide a medium of exchange that is easy to use so as to promote transactions between individuals in a spontaneous manner, but secure from counterfeiting or fraud? Further, how can a virtual community support transactions between individuals that are not subject to scrutiny or review by third parties?.
While credit cards have been used to conduct business on-line, credit cards are not appropriate for simple commerce between individuals. Few private individuals have bank accounts set up to accept credit card deposits. Further, when you do not know exactly who you are dealing with, you would hesitate to give your credit card number for a purchase.
Also, actual cash transactions may not be appropriate when the goods being purchased have no reality outside of the common virtual world. With the growth of on-line communities across national boundaries, how do individuals even agree on the medium of exchange? To the best knowledge of the inventors there is not an medium of exchange available in an on-line virtual world to promote the interesting activities that surround trade, and add to the potential complexity and interest of community activities. A solution to the many complexities associated with a medium of exchange has yet to found for on-line virtual worlds.
According to the principles of this invention, a graphic user interface is utilized to represent instances of various classes, that are virtual objects, which in turn provide users of the graphic user interface with a new dimension in communication. In the virtual world of this invention, an avatar object is a virtual container that includes a plurality of other containers, e.g., avatar hands and a pocket. Herein, a virtual container object, as its name suggests, can hold one or more other virtual objects.
The avatar object is not only a container, but also includes other characteristics that allow the avatar object to express moods and perform gestures. The avatar object is represented in the graphic user interface as a computer based animation that has a body and a removable head. The avatar object can move,
e.g., walk, through the various locales in the virtual world with or without a head.
One avatar can talk to the other avatars in the same locale. In this case, the on-line user represented by the avatar enters a message, and the message in displayed in a balloon that is visible to each of the other avatars in the locale. Thus, any other avatar in the locale can read the message. Alternatively, for a private communication, the on-line user, represented by the avatar, can use ESP to communicate privately with another avatar in the same locale, or in any other locale in the virtual world.
Portable virtual objects that can be stored in either the hands or the pocket of the avatar include spare heads for avatar, a token object that represents one or more tokens, and other portable virtual objects that are available within the virtual world. These portable virtual objects include portable virtual container objects that in turn can store other portable virtual objects.
Herein, all of the objects and avatars are virtual which means that they exist only in terms of the computer processes used to generate the virtual world. Thus, even though the word virtual is not always used in describing an object or avatar, it is understood that the object or avatar is always virtual.
An avatar is controlled through use of data input devices, e.g., a keyboard and mouse, for an on-line user""s computer in combination with information and actions presented on the computer display screen. The on-line user""s computer executes client processes associated with the on-line user that in turn send and receive messages from other client processes on that on-line user""s computer as well as from server processes executing on a server computer of a service provider over a network such as the Internet.
In this embodiment, the various actions that an on-line user can take through her avatar, are presented in the graphic user interface via pop-up menus. When the on-line user selects an object displayed in the graphic user interface using one or more of the computer""s data input devices, a pop-menu for the selected object is displayed.
Each virtual object is aware of its surroundings and changes its behavior to suit the situation. For example, selecting a floor object of a locale presents a pop-up menu with choices such as Walk to here; Go this way; and Go that way, if the avatar is not holding a portable virtual object in his hand. However, if the avatar is holding a portable virtual object in his hand, there is an additional menu choice of Put here. This is because the floor object checks to see if the avatar is holding a portable virtual object that can placed, e.g., put or dropped, at the selected point on the floor object.
Token objects in the graphic user interface are a medium of exchange within the virtual world of this invention. The value of a token object is determined by the denomination of the token object. While each token object is shown as a single object, each token object can represent one or more tokens based on the denomination.
Token objects can be exchanged freely while in the virtual world, but token objects are not tied to any real world currency. To prevent counterfeiting, all token object creation is controlled by a one of the server processes executing on the server computer maintained by the service provider. On-line users cannot freely create new tokens.
A token object can be carried, deposited in a virtual ATM object, deposited in virtual vending machine, used to purchase portable virtual objects from machines or shops, or given to other avatars. A token can also be dropped, taken, or stored in a container. When tokens are paid, the client process performs an internal operation called xe2x80x9csplitxe2x80x9d where the value of the token in the hand of the avatar, or in the pocket of the avatar is divided between what to pay and what goes back into his hand, or pocket. The split operation typically leaves a token of the denomination required for the transaction in the hand of avatar.
In one embodiment of the split operation, the avatar places the token in his pocket. A client process and server process communicate and determine whether there are sufficient tokens in the pocket to complete the transaction. If there are sufficient tokens, the avatar withdraws his hand from his pocket holding a token of the required denomination. In this case, the server process notifies a client process in each of the other on-line users that are in the same locale, and that client process plays an animation that shows the split being made. If there are insufficient tokens, a message is displayed informing the avatar and the avatar""s hand is removed from his pocket.
Exchange of token objects or any other portable virtual objects can be mediated by one of the server processes, and so theft or fraud are difficult. However, approval for transactions between avatars is not controlled by the server processes, or by service provider. On-line users are free to transact exchanges of either tokens or other portable virtual objects through their respective avatars without needing the approval or intervention of the service provider.
Token objects can be exchanged for other portable virtual objects using virtual vending machine objects. Virtual vending machine objects are another unique feature of the graphic user interface of this invention. Each of these virtual vending machines displays portable virtual objects for sale.
When an avatar chooses a purchase from a virtual vending machine by selecting an entry in a pop-up menu of the graphical user interface using the data input devices, the virtual vending machine, in one embodiment, takes a token object directly from the avatar""s hand and places the purchase directly into the avatar""s hand. Virtual vending machine objects perform any required token splits, if the denomination of the token object in the avatar""s hand is more than the purchase price, and puts a token object for the outstanding balance into avatar""s pocket when delivering the purchased object. The token is put in the avatar""s pocket, because at any instant only one virtual portable object can be in the avatar""s hands.
At all times, the avatar has direct control over the portable virtual object in his hand, or on his head. Thus, theft by grabbing from the hand of avatar or head is not possible.
Token objects are placed in circulation by virtual ATM objects, that is an instance of an ATM class. A token object is an instance of a token class. A virtual ATM object, another novel feature of the graphic user interface of this invention, allows a user to obtain a balance, deposit tokens, and withdraw tokens.
When an avatar interacts with a virtual ATM object, the bank balance of the avatar is updated. When the avatar requests a withdrawal, the ATM object gives the avatar a token object valued at the withdrawal amount selected by the avatar.
Prior to a deposit, or at any time the avatar has a token in his hand, the token object can be split into two token objects whose total value equal the value of the original token object, as described above. All token object creation or splits are mediated by a server process on the server computer to prevent creation of fake token objects.
Token objects can be exchanged with other on-line users for goods or services, given as gifts, or left lying around, like dropped cash. Unlike cash, token objects can not be taken by another avatar without the consent of the avatar holding the token object. However, any avatar is free to get a token object lying on the ground.
In general, one avatar can not take a portable virtual object from a hand of another avatar. However, if one avatar can convince another avatar to place the portable object on the ground, for example, the avatar can get the object from the ground without the consent of the other avatar. Thus, like the real world, thievery and/or cons are possible in the virtual world of this invention, with the exception that a virtual object can not be take from the hand of an avatar.
The avatars, virtual token objects, virtual ATMs, and virtual vending machines, as indicated above are implemented using object-orientated concepts, in this embodiment. Thus, each object is an instance of a class and typically is stored in a structure within a memory of the on-line user""s computer for access by client processes, and within a memory of the server computer for access by server processes. Each instance of the class is represented by its own structure in the computer memory that contains data for the virtual object in the virtual world.
The token structures, ATM structures, vendroid structures, and the avatar structure with a pocket and a hand container create unique features in the virtual world that make the virtual world a more realistic and enjoyable place for on-line users to communicate. The ability to trade, purchase, get, and put the portable virtual objects stored in these structures allows an economic component, i.e., a new dimension of communication to exist in the virtual world that was not previously available.
As indicated above an avatar can walk, communicate with another avatar via talk, think, and ESP processes, and can also pick up, put down and use certain objects, use machines, and change its appearance. The avatar also has different moods and gestures. The mood of the avatar is selectable by the user at any time. The avatar starts in the world in the neutral mood, e.g., a happy mood. The mood changes are modalxe2x80x94the selected mood remains on the avatar""s face until the mood is changed by the user. In this embodiment, the plurality of moods includes neutral, mad, sad, and glad.
As explained above, each locale in the virtual world can accommodate a predefined number of avatars. However, in addition to the avatars in a locale, a locale can support essentially an unlimited number of lurkers. Lurkers, while they do not actively contribute to the discussion in real time, do change the dynamic of on-line communities by causing the simplest exchanges between individuals to exist in a public space. While participants can choose to take any discussion to a private venue, such as in e-mail or off-line, the relative invisibility of lurking can cause it to be forgotten.
One opportunity that the graphical user interface of this invention provides is to visually represent lurkers to provide a reminder that participants other than the active ones are xe2x80x9clistening inxe2x80x9d. In the virtual world of this invention, a lurker is represented in a locale by a ghost object. An icon is present, i.e, an eye-the-sky, in a locale, whenever a ghost object, or ghost objects are present.
Ghost objects have anonymity, i.e. their names are not known to avatars of the locale, and have limited interaction choices. A ghost object cannot talk or think to other avatars. A ghost object retains the ability to transmit private xe2x80x9cESPxe2x80x9d messages to other avatars.
A ghost object also enables other important capabilities. To promote personal, one-on-one type relationships which encourage a sense of community, most locales have limits to the number of avatars that can be physically present at one time. This also prevents over-crowding of the visual interface. In addition, limiting the number of active avatars in a locale assures that the performance of the client computers is not slowed down by having to receive notice messages to update the status of more than a reasonable number of active avatars. Thus, the ghost object permits any number of on-line users in a locale without degrading either the visual interface, or the computer performance.
While this limitation is important to the social dynamic, and necessary to prevent a mob scene from overloading the visual interface, it would be frustrating to completely prevent new users from entering a full locale, i.e., a locale that contained the maximum number allowed of physical avatar objects. An avatar entering a full locale automatically becomes a ghost in the locale, and may then choose to remain and observe the activity occurring. When the number of materialized avatars drops below the limit, a ghost may choose to join in as a materialized, physical avatar in the locale, or to remain as a ghost and continue to lurk.